Forecast for AccuWeather: Future to Include 24-Hour Weather Channel

AccuWeather announced Monday it will launch a 24-hour weather channel later this year.

AccuWeather Founder and President Joel Myers says creating a 24-hour weather source that will be available on the web, mobile devices and television, was the next natural step for the company, which is based in State College.

"We are the number one, most used source of weather forecast and information globally," Myers says. "This is the only way up to this point that AccuWeather is not available, through a 24 hour weather channel, and we've been working on this for some time ... I think there's an opportunity for us to have another outlet, another way to serve the public and we have a lot of advantages."

Myers says the advantages include the company's 45-day, hour-by-hour and minute-by-minute forecasts. A 24-hour weather forecast resource will assist users in their daily lives, he says.

"They can plan their activities and live their lives and operate their businesses more efficiently," he says.

The Weather Channel is the only existing 24-hour TV channel dedicated to weather. Myers says AccuWeather's channel will differ in that it will solely offer forecasts.

"AccuWeather will be all weather all of the time. It will have all of the AccuWeather characteristics with the most accurate forecasts and most local information ... it will have localization, customization, personalization, and be dedicated to helping people live their lives more effectively and safer," Myers says.

The channel is expected to launch this summer or fall. It will be available online, mobile devices, as well as cable services that have yet to be determined.

AccuWeather, founded in 1962, did not initially intend to announce this week the news of its weather channel. The company decided to make the announcement in light of the controversy that has developed between DirecTV and The Weather Channel.

DirecTV officially cut The Weather Channel from its lineup on Monday. The Weather Channel says it got the ax after requesting 1 cent more for each subscriber. The Weather Channel has been on the air for 32 years.

AccuWeather founder Joel Myers is the father of Dan Myers. Dan Myers is the founder of Lazerpro Digital Media Group, the parent company of StateCollege.com.